Black Hole Heartbeat

Elizabeth - 1

Elizabeth Ranger's heart was full of fire, her head was full of fury, and her ship was full of loot. As she stepped out onto the blustery terrain of Green 3, the wind swept her cropped red hair across her face. Her crew followed her out.

"I still say there's plenty of treasure for us back in the Known Systems. We didn't need to come to The Barely Charted," Forr said.

Forr was a Krei, wide set with pale skin. Below average size in his species, Forr stood at seven foot.

Brack, a Torfus male with glistening scarlet scales, nudged past Forr to stand alongside Elizabeth.

"Live a little, dear."

"The Barely Charted system one," Elizabeth reminded them, "Only carries a mild punishment."

"Electroshock. Mild to me and Brack, and even a Human wouldn't be hurt too badly. But Lavell's a Jahlder. They've died from electroshock before," Forr said.

Lavell looked up from picking flowers around the Victory Pearl's ramp.

"You worry too much. Firstly, we won't get caught. Secondly, they'd give me water punishment over electroshock to avoid anymore Jahlder/electro bad press. Third, we can hardly call ourselves explorers if we don't explore."

Explorers was generous. They were thieves.

"Steal from The Barely Charted has always been on my list," Elizabeth said.

"That damn list of yours," Brack smirked.

"Fourthly, thank you for worrying."

Lavell stuffed one of the flowers into her robe. She stood on tiptoes to peck Forr's cheek. Her long white hair brushed against the fur on his shoulder.

Completing the crew alongside them was another Human named Olivia. She did not join in the conversation.

The temple of Allke stood in front of them, low sun casting long shadows over them. A pyramid of crumbling stone. Elizabeth would bet it hadn't had a visitor in decades.

Forr ran his thick fingers down the hinge, "Explosives?"

"The whole thing could fall," Brack said.

"I don't see you coming up with any ideas," Olivia said.

When Elizabeth had heard Olivia was saving up for a place in Russia's Human Only colony, she had invited her to join the crew to change her mind. It was not going well.

"Couldn't we like, set up the explosives so they just blow the doors off?"

"Wind might be about to do that for us," Elizabeth said, turning her shoulder against the gust.

No one else replied.

Elizabeth's hair blew into her mouth. She spat it out and looked up at the temple.

There had to be a way inside. They would find it.

"Window," she said, pointing upwards.

"Probably too high," Brack said after a glance.

"I could climb it. Couldn't I, Ranger? I used to be the best climber back when we were kids!" Olivia said.

"I don't think this is quite the same, Liv dear," Brack told her.

"Don't call me dear, and don't call me Liv!"

"Lavell!" Elizabeth shouted over the noise.

If smashing or blasting things didn't work, Lavell normally had a solution.

"Working on it," Lavell shouted back.

She was already kneeling by the keyhole, sliding a pin inside. Metal teeth crawled out from the pin like the legs of an insect uncoiling. They slotted into the shape of the lock. As Lavell turned the pin, the teeth pushed against the stone, rotating until the pin spun full circle. The door eased open with a wailing creak.

"You know, I gave you those bracelets for a reason. You people really have to learn that there is more to life than brute force," Lavell said.

Elizabeth had her back to the temple, looking out across the dry plains of Green 3.

The gardens had died. The grass was frail and strawlike. She pushed her hair back behind her ear. The wind immediately dragged it across her cheeks again. Clumps of dirt slapped off the long tail of her blue leather jacket. She swept the jacket back behind her holster and tightened her fingers around her white pistol's grip. Dust swirled around the dark boots on her feet. In Green 3's low sun, her shadow extended further than the rest.

Brack tried to pull the door. The stone squeaked but the door barely moved. Forr pushed him aside and yanked it open with two strong tugs.

"After you, of course," Brack said, stepping aside for Forr.

"After me, actually," Elizabeth said.

"Who else, dear?" Brack said, planting a kiss on her face.

Elizabeth stepped into the pitch black. The sun through the widow was a candle in a cave. She could feel and fumble further than she could see.

"Let's just grab what we can and leave," Olivia said.

"If you don't want to be here, go home," Elizabeth said.

"I'm only here so I can go home."

Lavell clicked her bracelet to lightbeam and a laser of illumination pierced the darkness. It landed on Brack, shimmering off the red scales of his neck and reflecting off his metal armour. The rest of them followed suit and slashed into the. black with their lightbeams. All of them, except Olivia.

"You okay there?" Elizabeth asked.

Olivia twisted the dials on her bracelet back and forth. The clicking sound grew louder as her fingers became frustrated. She gave up with a scream screeched through clenched teeth.

"When are you gonna fix this for me?" she demanded.

"When you ask me nicely," Lavell told her.

"Why don't you fuck off, you Jahlder bitch?"

"She can't hear you," Elizabeth said, "Lavell's adapted her translation implant to turn all known curse words into static."